A visualization analysis of research hotspots and trends in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for elderly patients based on web of science and scopus.

Authors

Chang Xiao, Yiting Wang, Yanfeng Sun, Shengqiang Zou, Xihu Yang

Published in

Journal of cardiothoracic surgery. Jul 18, 2026. Epub Jul 18, 2026.

Abstract

To analyze the research landscape and thematic evolution of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in elderly patients from 2009 to 2025 using bibliometric methods.
Publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, limited to English articles and reviews. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze annual publication trends, international and institutional collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst detection.
A total of 773 publications were included. Annual publication output increased markedly after 2017. China (183 publications, 23.7%) and the United States (152 publications, 19.7%) were the leading contributors. Keyword clustering identified nine major thematic clusters (Q = 0.4617,S = 0.7527),with "lung neoplasms" and "esophagus resection" emerging as independent clusters. A sub-analysis revealed that 37 publications (4.8%) specifically addressed thoracic surgery, indicating that thoracic ERAS represents an emerging but still underdeveloped subfield within the overall ERAS research landscape. Among the top 20 high-frequency keywords, "aged" (519 occurrences, 67.1%) and "enhanced recovery after surgery" (504 occurrences, 65.2%) were the most prominent. Burst detection revealed 25 keywords with significant citation surges. Recent high-intensity bursts included "functional status" (strength = 7.18), "preoperative exercise" (strength = 6.28), and "physiotherapy" (strength = 5.38), indicating a shift toward functional recovery and prehabilitation. Major research themes focused on frail older populations, colorectal and oncologic surgical applications, perioperative analgesia, and prehabilitation strategies. Temporal overlay and burst analyses indicated sustained prominence of terms such as "functional status", "frailty", and "preoperative exercise".
Research on ERAS in elderly patients has evolved into a multi-thematic knowledge structure with an increasing emphasis on functional outcomes and personalized perioperative management.

PMID:
42471716
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Jul 2026.

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